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Gun control and addiction (Part 2)

Over the years, every anti-rights editorial about concealed carry laws being enacted in a new state carry the same hysterical message: The state will become the wild west; Gun battles will erupt over parking spaces at the mall and traffic accidents; blood will run in the streets. In thrall to their disease, they seem to forget that the very same claims were made when preceding states enacted the same legislation, yet the reality never materialized. Gun controllers then suffer anxiety and nausea, to see their carefully crafted hallucinations exposed in the light of truth.

This is indicative of the withdrawal symptoms of gun controllers, when faced with a loss of gun control, or to be more honest, simply control. Yes, there are many more guns on the streets, but a study of the FBI Uniform Crime data shows significantly lower crime rates in shall-issue, concealed carry states.

Such a loss of control over law-abiding citizens results in more insane behavior, as withdrawal symptoms increase. The Violence Policy Center is adept at publishing reports trying to show that shall-issue states are more violent, contrary to FBI Crime data. The addict will do anything to protect their “drug” of choice, even if it means innocent people suffer.

Other symptoms of withdrawal include denial and projection. An alcoholic will blame his wife, boss, traffic, president, or anything and anybody for the unhappy state of his life. Anything is acceptable, as long as there is no personal responsibility, and therefore no reason to quit. Since criminals are beyond the control of society, gun controllers try to control the only population group that might be accessible: law-abiding citizens.

Those who crave gun control are in denial. They blindly believe that the problem of violence resides in society at large or in an inanimate object. On one hand, they believe that all people are good, and that in the presence of guns, a good person will be magically transformed into a murdering maniac. Yet in a curious schizophrenic split of the mind, they also believe that people are bad, that they are unable to handle a tool with fewer operating mechanisms than a car, which killed about 5.5 times as many children in 2005.** They believe that people are not to be trusted with guns.

Fracturing their minds into thirds, they also believe that the government, which comes from the very same pool of humanity, somehow can be trusted: Somehow a private citizen, who is incompetent and untrustworthy, magically transforms when they join the government, military, or police. This hallucination persists despite the reality that, like professionals in all walks of life, law enforcement professionals like ex-Sheriff Gerald McFaul from Cuyahoga County, Ohio, or judges like Luzerne County (Pennsylvania) Judge Mark Ciavarella, can damage people’s lives through their misuse of power.

Then there is the projection aspect of addiction. The addict believes that since he is the innocent victim, any conflict in his life is the doing of others. Being morally superior, the addict does not see a need to engage in reasonable discourse, because he knows he is right, and anybody who disagrees with him is wrong.

When a columnist from the Chicago Sun Times claimed that studies show that most people do not want anybody to carry concealed weapons, this author wrote her asking for copies of the research she pretended to quote. Her only response was to say we must agree to disagree on this matter.

Since she was in denial about her addiction, and had to project out her own failings to ground her convictions in “common sense and fact,” and she was the morally superior victim, there was no need to respond to a reasonable request. By the very nature of disagreeing, one becomes a bad person, not worthy of her consideration. Since she risked nothing, she comfortably maintains her delusional state.

As noted above, after 20,000 gun laws in the US, the gun controller needs more. A few more brief examples will highlight this aspect of the disease.

England wants to ban replica guns. The New York City Council wants to ban water guns. An Annapolis, Maryland, Alderwoman wants to ban toy guns. These examples serve to show the uncontrollable need for more, regardless of what reality dictates is needful, and regardless of the consequences.

Unfortunately for the deluded gun controller, history shows one consistent fact: loss of civil rights follows civilian disarmament. Australia’s government is pushing to “reform” double jeopardy. Britain has already done this.

There are other, more terrifying, examples of government-sponsored civil rights abuse and mass murder. Here is a partial list of countries that, in the 20^th Century, disarmed the populace and proceeded with government-sponsored mass murder, termed “democide” by Professor Rudy Rummel: People’s Republic of China (76.7 million murdered); USSR (61.9 million); and Cambodia (2 million). Other countries listed by Professor Rummel that were U.N. members during democide include: Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Yugoslavia, resulting in another 4.9 million murdered by their own governments. This is many times more than all the gun-related deaths in the history of the United States: it would take over 4,500 years, based upon the 2007 number of homicides, for American criminals to equal what the Chinese Communist government accomplished in less than four decades.

Addiction kills, usually harming those around the addict, much like a drunk driver. Should you subject your freedom and safety to an uncontrolled addict? Is it reasonable to placate a person who is trying to convince you their demands are reasonable, when they want everything from you and promise nothing in return? The addict is a user. This means they use people, too, to get what they want.

Intervention is the process whereby you confront these people and create consequences for continued addictive behavior. Being nice to them only enables them to continue feeling justified, and prolongs the disease. Conversely, giving them “tough love” is the only way to help them begin their recovery. Be firm but compassionate, because they are sick.

* British and Australian crime rates compiled into Excel workbook, using government sources. Email request for workbook.

** Child mortality data compiled from CDC data. Email request for workbook.